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Taytayz1991

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Thanks to my wonderful dogs my boyfriend and I became the caretakers of 7 abandoned bunnies. They are all doing wonderful have gone from little furry closed eye worms to small bright eyed bunnies who love attention and are spoiled to death. One of them we call “Feets” came into our care with underdeveloped hind legs. He moves around very well, has an amazing personality and lets nothing stop him. My concern is that his useless back legs get in the way when he goes to the bathroom and I’m worried about them being wet. I know you’re not suppose to bath bunnies. Would a dust bath or something be right solution. I just want him Comfortable and Living his best life possible. Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
It's great that they have someone looking out for them! I'm curious how old they are and what kind of bunnies they are (wild or pet)? I would consider keeping him wiped off with the damp towel, although someone else on here may have better tips... Do you have any pictures of what his hind legs look like?
 
Welcome to the forum! It’s great that they’re all doing well!
Feets is such a cute name! As for him legs getting in the way of his toileting, as Mac said, you can use a soft damp towel or rag to clean him off. It is also an option to give him a very shallow bum bath but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t know how. Rabbit Butt Bath: Caring for a Bunny's Messy Bottom
 
They’re wild. Cottontail bunnies. Found them at about 8 days old before their eyes opened. Their mom didn’t come back after my dogs dug them up. And they were very underweight and dehydrated with closed eyes when we took them in. The little guy is so lively and adorable and I just want him to have the best quality life he can and I can’t imagine it’s too comfortable having wet back legs. Just for background they have been eye dropper fed kitten formula mixed with a little heavy cream. That was what a few websites said to do online. They are all actually very friendly and love attention from us contradictory to what it said about wild bunnies online. But we didn’t just find wild bunnies and think “oh let’s keep them!” It was only after mom didn’t come back for over 24 hours that we got worried and decided to try and give them a chance.
 
Some pics. His back legs have no muscle tone and the bones arnt hard it feels more like cartilage. Not sure if he had the cord wrapped around him or how he ended up this way. We just found him with no use of his back legs
 

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They’re wild. Cottontail bunnies. Found them at about 8 days old before their eyes opened. Their mom didn’t come back after my dogs dug them up. And they were very underweight and dehydrated with closed eyes when we took them in. The little guy is so lively and adorable and I just want him to have the best quality life he can and I can’t imagine it’s too comfortable having wet back legs. Just for background they have been eye dropper fed kitten formula mixed with a little heavy cream. That was what a few websites said to do online. They are all actually very friendly and love attention from us contradictory to what it said about wild bunnies online. But we didn’t just find wild bunnies and think “oh let’s keep them!” It was only after mom didn’t come back for over 24 hours that we got worried and decided to try and give them a chance.

It sounds like you are doing your research and the fact that they all are healthy and growing can attest to that! Have you considered calling a wildlife rehabilitation facility? Other than Feets, the bunnies may still be candidates to live wild and a wildlife center may be able to make that happen. Give them a call and see if they have a suggestion there. Looking at the pics of Feets legs, I'm gonna say that his odds as a real wild bunny are nil.

Can Feets ever get his legs under him/can he move them, or do they always drag behind? If they always drag he's probably paralyzed for one reason or another, although if he can get them under there is a chance he may be able to build strength. He might need a little DIY bunny wheelchair, which will keep his legs from getting as wet and dirty, as well as increase his mobility. Until you can make something that works, I'd say keep wiping him off and keep us in the loop! He's adorable!
 
Generally it's not recommended to bathe rabbits, however there are rare circumstances with rabbits that have health issues, where it is necessary to bathe them to help keep them clean and as healthy as possible. I would only do as much as needed and necessary. If wiping will work, I would do that. Or giving a butt bath, where only the lower portion is bathed. Full bathing is almost never advisable due to the risks, and with any bathing it's important to not let water get into the ears, and to make sure bun is completely dry and that it's done properly. This link has some good info on how to care for a disabled bun.
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/
Just fyi, laws usually prohibit keeping wildlife as pets. So I would suggest looking into that for your state and what you would need to do to be the caretaker for the little guy. And it would be advisable to find a wildlife rehabber to take the healthy babies to raise for eventual release, or at least to advise you on what to do. It may be no rehabbers are taking in animals during covid. This link has info on raising orphaned cottontail kits for release in case you need the info.
https://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm
This little guy will need daily cleaning and a lot of care. I had a rabbit that developed hind limb paralysis in her old age and it took a lot of extra care. A special set up will likely be needed where the area the baby lives in will have to have absorbant layers to keep the urine drained away, at least until and if the bun can be litter box trained using a low sided litter box. For now because the baby is so little, you might be able to get away with just using disposable puppy pee pads covering the floor area and changing them out as needed.

As the fur grows you might need to keep the fur around the bum clipped short for easier cleaning and so it dries faster. It's not good for a rabbit to have wet fur as that attracts flies, which poses a huge health risk (flt strike).

It's a lot of work, but it is possible to provide a good quality of life for a disabled rabbit, if you have the time and dedication to do it.
 
We’re looking into local rehabilitation centers. The only reason we fed them ourselves is I was home from work and use to raise hamsters so I figured they’d be in foster care with someone anyways and I appreciated having something to take up my time. Like I said we were not those people who saw cute wild bunnies and just took them, it was purely because they had been abandoned.

he has zero ability to move his back legs. They drag behind him. I’ll have to try to find something to keep them out of the way when he goes to the bathroom. They usually end up crossing behind him. Would baby wipes be okay to keep it clean? I’m just worried about it getting infected or having issues from staying wet. I know he never would have even made it this long in the wild so in a sense I’m happy that by us taking him he’s gonna get a chance at life
 
You know, it's not easy to say, I understand your good intentions and all your effort saving them, and you say it's not like 'oh let's keep'em' but it is in fact, you keep them because it entertains you and you just proud of yourself I am sorry he has zero chance in the wild and you only giving him a few days or weeks of life, if you manage to keep him as a pet it will be miserable life, rabbits can live 10 years, he will grow and his health problems will grow with him because of his limited mobility he won't be able to exercise etc and he will suffer whole his life. Where you see yourself in 10 or maybe 5 years? Will you be able to give him your time and pay vets?

I think it would be right decision to let professionals to take care of them as soon as possible. Now as you've got some experience with rabbits maybe you will want to adopt a pet rabbit or a pair from your local rescue and take care of them. You like rabbits, it is obvious, you can save some abandoned pet from a rescue, that would be nice. And here, let the professionals take care of those little creatures.

I am sorry again I know it's probably not what you wanted to hear but it is true and you know it as well.
 
I totally disagree! Just because he's disabled doesn't mean he'll have a miserable life. Many bun owners with disabled buns have managed to provide a happy and fulfilling life for their buns. The problems encountered can certainly be a challenge, and it's not for everyone to handle this kind of thing, but it can be done. As long as the owner can cope with the extra care and wants to take on the added responsibility.

And as for the bunny, many rabbits learn to cope with their disability, and this little guy doesn't know any different so doesn't have it being a new thing to him affecting his ability to cope,. So the main issues will be managing little difficulties like how to keep him clean and working out a solution. And I doubt being mobile is going to be an issue. I'll wager he manages to scoot himself around pretty good on those little front legs without too much difficulty.

Being disabled doesn't mean he's suffering now or will suffer in the future. It just means his life will be a little different than most rabbits. And with dedication and care it's totally possible for a disabled bun to have a good quality of life. There are plenty of instances where it has been done, and the bunnies have had a perfectly happy life.

@Taytay1991 I totally get it. I'm not at all saying that taking him in wasn't the right thing. I agree he wouldn't have survived then, and shouldn't be released in the future either. With the disability he'll need to remain a pet. It was just something that needed to be mentioned. Not a judgment one way or the other, just information. And baby wipes are completely fine. I would go for the unscented kind.
 
Hopefully the bunnies won’t be too friendly or dependant to be able to be released back to the wild :(

Other than the one with mobility issues - none of them should be in a home

For the one with the legs issue - you can use baby wipes , a damp cloth , or a “butt bath” to clean his backend when needed
 
I totally disagree! Just because he's disabled doesn't mean he'll have a miserable life. Many bun owners with disabled buns have managed to provide a happy and fulfilling life for their buns. The problems encountered can certainly be a challenge, and it's not for everyone to handle this kind of thing, but it can be done. As long as the owner can cope with the extra care and wants to take on the added responsibility.

And as for the bunny, many rabbits learn to cope with their disability, and this little guy doesn't know any different so doesn't have it being a new thing to him affecting his ability to cope,. So the main issues will be managing little difficulties like how to keep him clean and working out a solution. And I doubt being mobile is going to be an issue. I'll wager he manages to scoot himself around pretty good on those little front legs without too much difficulty.

Being disabled doesn't mean he's suffering now or will suffer in the future. It just means his life will be a little different than most rabbits. And with dedication and care it's totally possible for a disabled bun to have a good quality of life. There are plenty of instances where it has been done, and the bunnies have had a perfectly happy life.

@Taytay1991 I totally get it. I'm not at all saying that taking him in wasn't the right thing. I agree he wouldn't have survived then, and shouldn't be released in the future either. With the disability he'll need to remain a pet. It was just something that needed to be mentioned. Not a judgment one way or the other, just information. And baby wipes are completely fine. I would go for the unscented kind.
Thank you for saying that! She is doing a great job caring for those cottontails.
 
Thank you for saying that! She is doing a great job caring for those cottontails.
While it is technically illegal to keep wild rabbits, no one is going to make a big deal of it BECAUSE: I n the case of cottontails, there are a million of them, they are not endangered in the slightest. Also, as prey animals, they are food for many, many other species. Fully three quarters of them would, in the wild, be eaten before their first birthday. I think what you are doing is great!
 
Just wanted to post an update as I promised. The one with the bad legs did not make it. In the end I think his internal organs were not properly developed which was very sad but not anything we didn’t expect. The six remaining bunnies are now back in the wild where they belong. And as of today we are the proud owners of a baby 8 week old black holland lop whom we still have to name but he’s the sweetest thing and we couldn’t be happier.
 

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I am in NYS also and they do have laws on wildlife. They have a list of rehabbers in case this happens again. The rehabber would have made sure the bunnies had a chance in the wild before releasing them so they don't end up in a feral cat plate or some dog's toy. It is actually not hard to become a rehaber, you might want to check it out. The easiest level would be the one taking of squirrels, bunnies, fowl, etc. No raptors. In Long Island, the Star foundation rescues wildlife. Good luck.
 
They were properly released in a safe location by wildlife rehabilitators. Previous to this they were fed all food sources which would be accessible to them in the wild. We did everything to give them the best possible chance at survival. Like I said in the first post we never took in wildlife with intention of keeping it. Our whole state was shut down by the covid virus when we found them and nothing was Fully operational so we stepped up, researched and hand fed them to the best of our ability. We had the means and the time to eye dropper feed them and got them weaned and use to wild vegetation. We were ready to keep Feets knowing he stood no chance in the wild but sadly his body was not properly developed for him to survive. They would never be happy as pets or in cages of any kind, we knew that. As much as we loved them we wanted them to be wild where they belonged. But we also fell in love with having bunnies and the unique and silly personalities and that’s why we adopted one that would be happy with us.
 
They were properly released in a safe location by wildlife rehabilitators. Previous to this they were fed all food sources which would be accessible to them in the wild. We did everything to give them the best possible chance at survival. Like I said in the first post we never took in wildlife with intention of keeping it. Our whole state was shut down by the covid virus when we found them and nothing was Fully operational so we stepped up, researched and hand fed them to the best of our ability. We had the means and the time to eye dropper feed them and got them weaned and use to wild vegetation. We were ready to keep Feets knowing he stood no chance in the wild but sadly his body was not properly developed for him to survive. They would never be happy as pets or in cages of any kind, we knew that. As much as we loved them we wanted them to be wild where they belonged. But we also fell in love with having bunnies and the unique and silly personalities and that’s why we adopted one that would be happy with us.
I know what you went through, I ended up keeping an injured pigeon for about a week before releasing it. A rehabilitator did offer to take it and release it but, given that it was an adult bird and almost recovered, I felt it was better off in her original flock. Sounds like you did your best!
 
Just wanted to post an update as I promised. The one with the bad legs did not make it. In the end I think his internal organs were not properly developed which was very sad but not anything we didn’t expect. The six remaining bunnies are now back in the wild where they belong. And as of today we are the proud owners of a baby 8 week old black holland lop whom we still have to name but he’s the sweetest thing and we couldn’t be happier.

I'm really sorry the little guy didn't make it, but you're probably right that there was likely some sort of internal issue. That's great about the others doing well and being successfully released! With the covid situation it has complicated how these types of situations need to be handled, but I think you did a very kind thing in helping rehabilitate these babies and raising them in the proper way so they could be safely released back into the wild.

Congratulations on your new bun, he's a cutie! It's hard not to get sucked into life with bunnies. Not only are they cute, but they're such an interesting and complex creature, that is often misunderstood because of their generally quiet and independent nature.
 

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